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Monday, September 26, 2011

Successful transfer...

Our embryo transfer went absolutely perfect! We first met with the nurse who would assist in the transfer. She gave us a picture of the 2 embryos we'd transfer that day and then we reviewed the different stages of growth that our 22 embryos were going through. She said we had 2 VERY healthy embryos that were ready to be transferred (a 4A and 4B), two embryos close behind (3A) and three more healthy ones right behind that (can't remember their ratings). The remaining 15 embryos were close behind, but most likely would need more time to mature or may never mature at all. The nurse was confident that even after the transfer, we would have at least 5-7 healthy embryos to freeze. Far less than the 22 we started with last Monday, but closer to our original goal and not quiet so overwhelming.

After that it was time to get ready for the transfer. They took us to a tiny room with dimmed lights and a sound machine playing the sounds of ocean waves and seagulls. Everything you'd need to stay nice and relaxed...not that it was hard to do after taking a Valium an hour earlier. :) Soon after Dr. Lee showed up smiling and seemingly excited about how healthy our embryos were and that things were absolutely ideal...worth waiting the extra two days. He reminded me to relax as much as possible and then we were ready to go.

Using a vaginal ultrasound, Jim and I were able to watch the entire transfer! He inserted a small tube, similar to a catheter into my uterus and positioned it at the base of what he calls "the fertile topsoil" the ideal place for implantation. To Jim and I it looked like nothing more than a thick white line on the monitor. After the catheter was in place, the nurse brought Dr. Lee a syringe with our two embryos and a long flimsy tube connected to the end. Dr. Lee said when he inserted the tube through the catheter, the tube would have to make an almost 90 degree turn before it could get to the "topsoil." He explained that it may take a few tries, so just relax and he'd do his best to get as close as possible. He slowly slipped the tube in and it poked out of the catheter, made the turn and slipped right into the perfect spot! He squeezed the syringe and we could actually see the embryo solution flowing right into the "topsoil." It even went a little deeper in than we'd expected...something that seemed to make Dr. Lee and the nurse extremely happy. It was really amazing to watch it all happen! How many people can actually say they were able to see the very moment their kids entered their uterus. I guess it's one of the few perks of the whole IVF process.

When we were all done, Dr. Lee congratulated us, said I needed to lay flat for 15 minutes and that he'd see us on the 4th when it was time for our pregnancy test. About a half hour later, Jim and I started wondering if the nurse had forgotten about us. He went to check if we were clear to go and the place was empty! So I got dressed and we wandered around a little, but only ran into another patient who said "oh yeah, if you laid for about 30 minutes then you just leave. They forget to tell you that." I'm glad she was there or we might have been there for a long time waiting like fools. :)

So for the past three days I've been on bed rest...I gave myself an extra day. :) I had a little bit of spotting the day of the transfer, but that's expected. Other than that, I'm feeling great! Just going to rest as much as possible and then go for my blood test October 4th...I can't wait! It sounds like we have a really good chance of having twins, but we'll take whatever we get at this point. All we care about is a healthy pregnancy and healthy babies.